NCAA TOURNAMENT THIRD ROUND – #6 DICKINSON COLLEGE RED DEVILS VS. #17 BUFFALO STATE BENGALS
Saturday, November 23, 2024 – 1:30 PM
Miller Memorial Field – Carlisle, PA (Hosted by Dickinson)
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LAST TIME OUT… Last time out, the Bengals earned a draw against #2 Tufts in the NCAA Second Round. Buffalo State would prevail and advance on penalty kicks with a 4-3 advantage.
Diego Rivera (East Meadow, NY/Cairo Durham) score the lone goal for the Bengals while
Aney Djadou (Buffalo, NY/Amherst) earned the assist.
Shae Wirt (Overland Park, KS/St. Thomas Aquinas) was stellar in goal making six crucial saves to keep the Bengals in contention.
David Wozniak (Staten Island, NY/Susan E. Wagner) scored the clinching penalty kick goal to advance the Bengals in the tournament.
Both sides remained at a stalemate throughout much of the first half. Buffalo State got on the board with just under five minutes to go in the half as Djadou found Rivera for the score.
Tufts came out aggressive on offense in the second half tallying 18 shots in total. The Jumbos were finally break through as they evened the score at 1-1. The Jumbos kept the pressure on, but Wirt and the Bengals defense were able to keep the score even heading into overtime. Through two overtime periods, neither team could find the back of the net, forcing penalty kicks for Buffalo State for the first time this season.
Wirt made a pair of spectacular saves on penalty kicks to set up Wozniak as he netted the game winner for the Bengals. Tufts outshot the Bengals 31-8 overall while also having the advantage in corner kicks at 7-2. Advancing gives the Bengals their furthest run in program history and matches the 2011 men's basketball team, and the 1996 and 2009 softball teams for the deepest run in the NCAA Tournament across any Buffalo State program.
Max Clivio scored the Jumbos while Owen Denby earned the assist. Nikola Antic made four saves in the effort.
THE MATCHUP/HOW WE GOT HERE… The Buffalo State Bengals earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 while the Red Devils also earned an at-large bid despite falling to #15 Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference Semifinals. The winner will face-off against the winner of #20 Williams and #21 Washington & Lee in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
LAST TIME WE MET… This will be the first time the two sides have faced each other.
THE BENGAL BREAKDOWN… At 16-2-4 (7-1-1), the Bengals earned the top-seed in the conference tournament after one of their best seasons in program history. After starting the season 12-0-1 (6-0-0 SUNYAC), the Bengals continued to show their consistency as one of the top teams in the SUNYAC, and finally cracked into the United Soccer Coaches Association Top 25 rankings. Poll 7 (October 22) saw the Bengals first appearance on the list at 24 while Poll 8 (October 29) had Buffalo State climb to 17, their highest national ranking since 2017. The team finished as the runner-up in the SUNYAC after falling to Cortland in the conference championship game.
As a team, the Bengals have lit up the scoreboard as they sat second in the conference in goals, points, shots on goal, and sit atop the SUNYAC with nine shutouts and 41 assists entering the NCAA Tournament. The team also sits 22
nd in the nation in goals, 24
th in points, and eighth in shutouts entering tournament play.
GO DIEGO GO… Rivera has been a staple on the Bengals offense in each of his first two seasons. Rivera led the conference with 41 points on 17 goals and seven assists. He also had two hat tricks this season coming against Elmira and Oswego and was named the SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year. Through two games in the NCAA Tournament, Rivera has added a goal and an assist for the Bengals.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS… Rivera's 18 goals are the most for a Bengal since at least 2006.
SPREADING THE BALL AROUND… The Bengals have 41 assists on the year entering the tournament. Prieto leads the team with 17 of those assists. That mark is a single season program record, which was previously 14 assists held by Theo Pencic in 2021 and Scott Martin in 1999. Nine Bengals have at least one assist with seven of those nine have multiple assists on the year. Prieto also sits atop the nation in that category.
OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE… Buffalo State has tallied 158 points total on the year entering their matchup with the Red Devils. That mark is atop the SUNYAC, seventh in the nation among the remaining teams, and the program's most in a season since at least 2006.
IN GOAL FOR THE BENGALS… Wirt has started every game in goal for the Bengals and played all but 20 minutes. Across 22 games, Wirt has accumulated 83 saves and a 0.798 save percentage along with 10 shutouts. That shutout total matches Andreas Queen in 2017 for most shutouts in a single season.
STRONG ON DEFENSE… The trio of
Matthew Stasyuk (Syracuse, NY/Marcellus),
Tapiwa Mushonga (Johannesburg, South Africa/Hilton College), and
Salvador Gomes (Lisbon, Portugal/Colegio de S. Thomas) have paced the Bengals defensive unit. Buffalo State is allowing an average of less than one goal per game across this season.
ALL-SUNYAC… Buffalo State had eight members earn All-SUNYAC honors in Rivera, Prieto, and Gomes who earned First Team, Mushonga and
Sam Gregson (Anglesey, Wales/Ysgol David Hughes) who were Second Team, and Wirt, Djadou, and
Adam Webster (York, England/Woldgate College), were Third Team.
RESEARCHING THE RED DEVILS… The Red Devils welcome the Bengals after winning each of their first two matchups of the tournament. The team earned their first-round win over St. Mary's College of Maryland and a second-round win over #24 Lynchburg. The Red Devils have yet to give up a goal through their first two matchups.
#6 Dickinson is led by head coach Jorge Chapoy. In just five seasons at the helm, Chapoy has led the Red Devils to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 and led the team in a huge upset win over #3 Messiah back in September.
Leading the Red Devils offense is Saul Iwowo who has 37 points on 15 goals and seven assists. Ethan Jarden has also had a strong season contributing 34 points on 13 goals and eight assists. In goal is Aidan George who has started 21 games compiling 52 saves with eight shutouts and a .703 save percentage.
Like the Bengals, the Red Devils are also in the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
SCHEDULES/RESULTS…
#17 BUFFALO STATE BENGALS: 16-2-4 (7-1-1 SUNYAC)
#6 DICKINSON COLLEGE RED DEVILS: 16-3-3 (4-2-3 Centennial Conference)
